Thursday, November 22, 2012

This illustrated non-fiction book tells the story of the
creation of Appalachian Spring, one of the most well-known American
modern dance ballets, which was a collaboration between dancer/choreographer
Martha Graham, composer Aaron Copland, and artist/scenic designer Isamu
Noguchi. The book follows the ballet from a story developed by Graham through
the rehearsal process to the opening night performance on October 30,
1944. “But the life of Appalachian Spring goes on after the great
night / to become an American favorite, / to be danced year after year.”

The text of this American Library Association Notable
Children’s Book is descriptive, yet lyrical. Much like Graham’s dancing it is
simple and direct, yet layered with contextual and atmospheric information. The
length and complexity of this illustrated book make it suitable for upper elementary through
high school students. A few pages are spent on each of the collaborators,
however as the title suggests, all interactions are focused around Graham. The
detailed watercolor and ink illustrations depict realistic scenes. The dancers’
bodies are anatomically correct and the movements are specific evoking Graham’s
unique style of dance. Several pages are devoted to a detailed, linear
description of the ballet itself. Floca uses a combination of small images that
convey sequences of movement, as well as larger images that plant the dancers
in the context of Noguchi’s minimalist set. The text is careful to describe the
movement and present possible ideas, but it does not limit the reader to one
interpretation of the ballet. The back matter includes biographical information
about the three collaborators, extensive and detailed notes and sources, and a
black and white photograph of the original production of the ballet.

The Virginia Arts Festival and Martha Graham Dance Company
put together resources for student lessons based on several of Graham’s dance
pieces. This festival featured a part of the Appalachian Spring ballet,
so look for references to ‘Tis a Gift to be Simple in this document. I
especially like the sections that provide more information on Graham and her
dance technique. Check out page 8 to learn about some of the key principles of
her technique and page 9, which discusses specific Graham movements. Many of
these movements can be seen in the illustrations for Ballet for Martha. For instance, Floca
illustrates a single dancer contracting and releasing on page 9 and a dancer
in the middle of a cave turn on page 8.

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History has a
great reader’s guide, which features many discussion questions, as well as a
list of vocabulary words featured in the book.

Pair this book with Dance by Bill T. Jones and Susan Kuklin
for a unit on modern dance. Graham’s technique has greatly influenced other
modern dancers and choreographers. Can you see any of her style in Bill T. Jones’
movements?

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About Me

I graduated with a Masters of Library Science from Texas Woman's University and am now a children’s librarian at the Denver Public Library. I feel lucky to have a career that allows me to combine my theatre experience and my love for children’s lit and programming. I'm always on the look out for creative ways to incorporate the arts (music, drama, dance, visual arts) to extend books beyond the page.